In the winter, home addition remodeling grinds to a halt. Weather delays pile up. Material shipments freeze. Work takes three times longer.
Smart builders start additions in spring or finish them by fall. Winter pushes timelines months past contract dates.
Why Temps Below Minus Fifteen Stop Work
Cold makes everything slower. Concrete won’t set right in freeze temps. Caulk won’t cure. Paint dries too fast and cracks. Adhesives fail.
Material brittleness becomes real. Metal gets stiff. Plastic cracks. Even wood behaves odd.
Safe work practices limit hours too. Cranes can’t operate in high winds. Workers need breaks from the cold. Nobody can work eight straight hours below minus ten.
On average, Toronto loses five to seven days per month due to cold.
Schedule Gets Crushed By Snow Removal
Every snowfall stops exterior work. Remove the snow. Wait for temps to rise. Resume work. Another storm hits.
January and February bring the most snow. Work crawls. Material deliveries get delayed by weather. Crews call in sick from the cold.
A project supposed to take sixteen weeks stretches to twenty-four weeks.
Permits and Inspections Slow Down
Building dept staff take holidays. Office hours shrink. Inspections get booked weeks out.
Summer? You call Thursday, get inspected Friday. Winter? You call and hear “we’ll schedule you for late January”.
Add four to six weeks just for permit delays.
Material Delivery Becomes a Nightmare
Suppliers reduce operations in winter. Concrete trucks don’t run. Lumber shipments get delayed. Specialty items like windows take twice as long.
Order early in fall or wait until spring. Winter orders often don’t arrive until March.
Best Timing for Additions
Start in May, finish by October. This gives five months of good weather. Interior work continues indoors through November if needed.
Starting in October? You’re fighting an uphill battle.
November starts are asking for trouble. Expect delays. Budget three to four extra months.
For critical timing—a family moving in a specific month—plan around summer construction only.
What Contractors Can Prepare
Smart builders order materials by August. They pull permits early. They schedule framing work for June-July-August.
They plan interior finishes—drywall, paint, flooring—for September-October. If done by late October, they beat the hard freeze.
Even with great planning, winter weather adds stress. But starting early limits damage.
Cost Impacts of Winter Delays
Delays cost money. Workers sit idle. Equipment rental extends. Temp power stays on longer. Heating costs spike.
A twenty thousand delay in labor is common. Add ten thousand in extra overhead. Winter brings unexpected costs.
Starting the project earlier actually saves money long-term.
Call the Experts at Heidan Construction
Cold stops progress. Snow brings stoppage. Permits slow. Materials don’t arrive.
Experienced Toronto builders know this. They avoid November starts. They finish exteriors by fall.
For homeowners? Plan for spring or early summer starts. Or budget for delays if you must build in fall.
The best addition timing in Toronto? May through September.
It’s never too early to discuss your upcoming home addition or remodel. Give Heidan Construction a call today. We will help you make your dream home happen.
